Hearing Angry Chef talk about the nature of food as more than just the components food means to the dietary system ( even though that plays a part) and as more about how food interlinks itself in most aspects of our everyday needs, was very enlightening.
Being an avid user of Instagram, its effects are not lost on me. The difference between #fitspo and #healthy_living, seems to be one of the larger spectrums out there. In that way, most #fitspo tags are on models who might not necessarily be fit, but are just the societal image of fit. Pointing out exactly what Angry Chef was talking about; “Body weight is one of the most heritable characteristics ever studied, in much the same ballpark as height”. I understand now why influencers endorse brands and products, as it’s a means of income. Feeding into a multi-billion dollar diet industry, built on making #fitspo the ‘real healthy lifestyle’ and #healthy_living the underdog.
This diet-cultural mixed with an influences ability, seems to endorse and control many perceptions on oneself as being less than what you’re supposed to be. In a more detrimental effect, the ‘in and out groups’ of the health society can plague physical attributes as a tell tale sign of health. Distorting social and personal mentalities on what it means to be healthy.
Having influencers interpret information allows for misconstrued knowledge and is incredibly dangerous when spread online. How can we change false food prophecies so intertwined in society? How do we separate health from fitness?
This was a very interesting read. In particular, the discussion about ‘influencer culture’ is an interesting and necessary consideration in the modern world of food and dieting. One has to wonder whether any single person is truly aware of the impact this culture has.
As you say, each influencer uses brand deals as a “means of income” – to them it is less insidious manipulation and more simple economics. The problem arises in that these influencers are able to separate themselves from the impacts that this toxic culture creates. They don’t see the young girl who is taught to suppress her diet and hate her body by the barrage of ‘fitspo’ posts in which toned models promote diet-suppressing lollipops and waist-constricting bands. Similarly, it is hard for consumers of such media to escape from this cycle, drawn in by algorithms that advertise proportionately based on the content you consume (the very worst self-fulfilling prophecy).
There is no easy fix, but it is clear that our relationship with food needs a radical rethink.